The 33-year-old’s family say they have been left with “so many questions”
An inquest into the death of a British soldier at an army barracks in North Yorkshire has heard that he was last seen around three weeks before his body was found.
Father-of-three Lance Corporal Bernard Mongan, 33, was discovered on January 23 2020 in his bedroom at Catterick Garrison.
The hearing to determine his cause of death – which is currently underway at North Yorkshire Coroners’ Court – has heard that L/Cpl Mongan had “obviously been dead for some time” when he was found, and had last been seen around December 27.
Those present in court were told that the decomposition of his body made it difficult for doctors to determine the cause of his death.
It had been recorded in a post-mortem examination report as “unascertained”.
A coroner heard the two most likely causes were considered to be poisoning – after barbiturates were found in Mr Mongan’s system – or sudden abnormality of the heart.
A Home Office pathologist told the inquest he could not say which of these was most likely.
“I’ve thought about this long and hard but I just don’t think I can, I don’t think I have enough positive evidence to go in one direction or the other,” Dr Nigel Cooper told the court.
The inquest also heard that an empty bottle of Jack Daniels was found in L/Cpl Mongan’s bedroom, but it is not known when it was drunk.
A statement from paramedic Paula Spence said L/Cpl Mongan was found face down on his bed, and that he had initially been discovered by friends, who said he had not been seen at work since around Christmastime.
She said there was “no evidence of self harm or suicide” at the scene but this could not be ruled out as a potential cause of death.
The statement read: “I do remember someone at the scene saying Bernard had been getting into fitness lately and taking supplements.”
A toxicology report found amobarbital in L/Cpl Mongan’s system, but said it was at a level associated with a “therapeutic dose”.
The inquest heard amobarbital was a sedative that is not currently legally prescribed in the UK.
Mary Mongan, L/Cpl Mongan’s mother, said the family had been left with “so many questions” about her son’s death.
“His death has left us with so many questions, I still can’t understand it,” she said in a statement.
“Losing Bernard has been a traumatic experience and came as a shock to all of us.”
L/Cpl Mongan’s wife Beth Mongan said they had three daughters together and had separated by the time of his death but remained close.
Mrs Mongan said: “Bernie was an absolutely amazing dad. Despite our differences as time went on I could never fault him for the love and adoration he showed to our daughters.
“Bernie was a sweetheart. If he could help you he would, he was a big softie.”
She continued: “He struggled with acceptance throughout his life… If he was bullied or targeted it was hard for him to accept.”
After an Army investigation into L/Cpl Mongan’s death in 2021, Mrs Mongan said her husband “felt bullied” and was “telling people he was afraid”.
The inquest, which is scheduled to last three weeks, continues.